National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi ahead of the 25th round of Special Representatives meeting in Beijing on August 25, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
India and China have agreed to advance discussions on “an Early and Substantial Harvest of boundary delimitation”, according to an eight-point outcome document released by both countries on Wednesday (August 26, 2026).
A day after the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives (SR) held in Beijing, India and China have agreed to hold the next meeting of an expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers, which India has been pushing for, in September, and to maintain communication on sharing hydrological data.
To improve border management, India and China have also agreed on an additional two meeting points to hold the General Level or Senior Highest Military Commander meetings. Two additional channels of border military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle Sectors of the border were also agreed upon.
These were among substantial outcomes announced by both sides following Tuesday’s talks in Beijing between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi.
The outcome document said the Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation, which both sides had agreed to set up at last year’s SR talks, and a Working Group on Border Management under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs, would “advance discussions on an Early and Substantial Harvest of boundary delimitation and Border Management”. The first task for both these groups, it noted, would be to agree on their respective terms of reference.
“The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the guidance received from the leaders of the two countries, maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas and create an atmosphere for healthy and steady development of bilateral relations,” the joint statement said.
It said both sides also underlined their commitment to advancing negotiations on a framework for the settlement of the boundary question, in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question signed in 2005.
On managing the border, both sides agreed that “any situation on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander‑level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC.”
“The two sides discussed ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas for better border management,” the statement said.
Both sides also noted recent progress on trans-border cooperation, including the reopening of three designated border trading points and an increase in the number of batches for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.
The statement said both had agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in border trade, pilgrimage and other areas “with the view to work together to create an atmosphere featuring dialogue, peace, consultation and cooperation in the border areas.”
Published – August 26, 2026 08:55 pm IST
